Every year, the NFL allows teams to have joint practices during the preseason in order to better prepare them for the upcoming season.
This week, the Los Angeles Rams are hosting joint practices with the Las Vegas Raiders in Southern California. Like the Rams, the Raiders are looking to bounce back from 2022 and make the postseason though both teams face uphill battles.
With the competitive nature of players, joint practices typically feature some sort of fight that needs to be broken up. In this case, things got heated between Los Angeles and Las Vegas during a play involving Cam Akers and Maxx Crosby.
According to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, Akers seemed to take exception to Crosby after a play was about over:
During 11-on-11, #Raiders DE Maxx Crosby chased down Cam Akers on a run play and tried to punch the ball loose. The play was basically dead, so Akers took offense and punches were thrown. Both sides got involved and it eventually got broken up.
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) August 16, 2023
After the fight broke up, both players were kicked out of practice according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic:
Sean McVay noted that fighting/getting involved in skirmishes will mean players getting kicked out (Akers). Raiders traveled from hotel here so nowhere for him to go but the sideline but Crosby didn’t get back into the practice either.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) August 16, 2023
After practice ended, Crosby cracked a wise comment towards Akers who responded via his X account:
Somebody ask him what it was I got?Anybody with eyes saw what happened 💀😂 https://t.co/jOqmTZ1uyC
— Cam akers (@thereal_cam3) August 16, 2023
Sean McVay and Josh McDaniels couldn’t have been happy with how their players acted, but this is nothing new for the Rams who have gotten into it every offseason with the opposing team. Last summer, Aaron Donald got into a skirmish during a joint session with the Cincinnati Bengals, so they’ve seen this situation before.
Hopefully Akers and Crosby are able to move past the altercation and allow their respective teams a chance to practice and get some valuable reps in before the season begins. The teams will practice together again on Thursday so it will definitely be something worth monitoring.
Cooper Kupp not expected to participate in practice with Raiders
Cooper Kupp has not been practicing with the team as he recovers from a hamstring injury he suffered a couple of weeks ago. Although he is considered day-to-day, Kupp isn’t expected to participate in their joint practice with the Raiders this week.
